We had news of a Colombian professor , José Galat, who was excommunicated for criticising Bergoglio and raising questions about the legitimacy of his papacy. If we leave aside the fact that the man didn't actually utter any heresy, and contrast this with the fact that heretics abound against whom nothing is done, we are still left with the issue of the bishops of Colombia effectively making something which ought to be legitimately debatable forbidden to speak about.

The fact is that we have 2 people who wear white in the Vatican. The fact is that one of them resigned under very suspicious conditions. The fact is that the other was elected under very suspicious conditions. There is also the fact that Bergoglio has issued numerous and repeated statements which are impious and heretical. Then we have the multiple prophecies which warn about false shepherds, including false popes.

It is difficult to see why somebody should be excommunicated about this when doubts about Bergoglio are perfectly legitimate, but then again it's difficult to find much of anything which makes sense in NOChurch.

Not to be left behind on the irrationality race, the U.S. political establishment issued new sanctions against Russia, Iran, Syria and North Korea, sanctions which Donald Trump signed into law this week.

Let it be clear that sanctions are considered acts of war! Let it also be clear that none of the countries here have done anything illegal, and that includes North Korea - which having pulled out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is free to pursue nuclear weapons, and as a sovereign state has an unassailable right to develop missile technology! Let it also be clear that they were all bunched together to create the impression that there is the same sinister thread in all of them!

The sanctions on Russian in particular would seem to be nothing more than protectionist measures, something even the Europeans have realised. They claim they will take measuers against the U.S. if these sanctions harm its economic interests. We should not feel sorry for the EU, of course, given that it is not opposing the immorality of sanctions but rather that they were imposed without their involvement, denying them the chance to make sure that while harming Russia, their companies are not harmed. My understanding is that also within 2 days of these sanctions against Russia, the EU imposed other sanctions of its own against Mother Russia.

The sanctions againsty Iran seem to be even more sinister, as even Donald Trump has admitted that Iran has complied with the nuclear deal they signed some 2 years ago or so, the one good thing that the previous evil regime of the U.S. did.

I sometimes have difficulty deciding whether Trump does these things because he believes the lies he is told or because he feels helpless. Either way, he has made himself seem even more helpless as these sanctions tie his hands if he ever wanted to improve relations with Russia, who themselves have seen fit to finally expel U.S. diplomats from Russia, some 8 months after the U.S. expelled Russian diplomats from the U.S. on the same false premises. He could have refused to sign the bill, in which case it would have gone into law anyway as it was veto-proof, but at least he would have signalled his independence.

By signing them he essentially proves himself either a hostage or a stooge of the political establishment, the very swamp he vowed to drain. If he thinks that making bad compromises will help him then he is greatly deluded.

Finally, some football news and a world record transfer of €222 million. I must admit I didn't think it would happen and probably the selling club never actually thought the clause would be met. I commented on this on the day it broke, and I'll briefly restate my comments here.

Though I do not bother reading much from secular newspapers, no doubt there are those decrying the amount of money in football. The statement "they make milions while hospital nurses make much less" is not unusual, as if there are not easily-understandable explanations as to why this is the case.

All the same, if you have something against the money involved - and I must admit to being repulsed by it - just remember that it is €200 million less for ISIS and other jihadists. It is not as though the Qataris were going to use the money to fund a raft of Catholic orphanages around the globe, after all. Neither were they likely to use the money to help their poor fellow Yemeni Arabs who are being bombed to smitherines by Saudi Arabia and its Western allies. This is probably the least harmful way the were going to spend the money.